Turgenev initials. Brief biography of Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev

Among the famous writers of Russia of the 19th century, Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev stands out, who is not only a writer. He has dramatic, journalistic works and poetry. Critics recognized the writer as one of the best figures of the century, so his biography should be briefly studied.

The writer's life began in Orel. This event took place on October 28, 1818. The parents were among the nobles. The family's place of residence was the Spasskoye-Lutovinovo estate. Initially, the future literary figure studied at home with tutors of German and French origin.

When the family moved to Moscow in 1827, he received his education in private schools. Next was admission to Moscow University, but after some time the figure transferred to St. Petersburg, where he began studying philosophy.

Ivan had the opportunity to study abroad at the University of Berlin, which he took advantage of.

Important! The writer's relationship with his mother was not easy. Varvara Petrovna was an educated person who loved literature and philosophy, especially foreign ones, but was distinguished by her despotic character.

Studying at the University

Beginning of activity in literature

One of the most important aspects of Turgenev’s biography is considered to be the beginning of his creative path. His interest in literary activity arose during his institute years, in 1834. Ivan Sergeevich began working on the poem “Wall”. The first publication dates back to 1836 - it was a review of the work of A.N. Muravyov "On the journey to holy places."

During 1837, at least a hundred poems and several poems were created:

• "The Old Man's Tale"
• "Dream",
• "Calm on the Sea"
• "Phantasmagoria on a Moonlit Night."

In 1838, the poems “Evening” and “To the Venus of Medicine” were published. At the initial stage, poetry had a romantic character. Later the author switched to realism. It is also very important that I.S. Turgenev was busy with scientific work for some time. In 1841 he wrote a dissertation on philology and received a master's degree. But then he went to work in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

In the biography of I.S. Turgenev mentions that his work was greatly influenced by Belinsky. It is after meeting the critic that the author writes new poems, stories and poems. The works “Three Portraits”, “Pop”, “Breter” were accepted for printing.

Creative inspiration

The period of active creativity began in 1847, when the author was invited to the Sovremennik magazine. “Modern Notes” and the beginning of “Notes of a Hunter” were published there. These works turned out to be successful, so the writer continued to work on hunting stories. Then Turgenev, together with Belinsky, finds himself in France, where the February revolution takes place.

The short biography of Turgenev, which schoolchildren study in the 10th grade, states that in the late 40s and early 50s the figure wrote dramatic works. Then the plays “Bachelor”, “Freeloader”, “Provincial Woman”, “A Month in the Country” were created. Many of the works are staged on the theater stage.

A very important feature of Turgenev’s biography is the exile to the family estate for 2 years for the obituary written after Gogol’s death. According to another version, the literary figure was exiled because of his radical views and negative attitude towards serfdom. While in the village, the author creates a story

After returning, the novels “On the Eve”, “Rudin”, as well as “The Noble Nest”, published in the Sovremennik magazine, were written.

I.S. Turgenev "Rudin"

Notable works also include:

• "Spring Waters"
• "Smoke",
• "Asya"
• "Fathers and Sons",

The move to Germany took place in 1863. Here the writer communicates with literary figures of Western Europe and disseminates information about Russian literature. He is mainly engaged in editing and translations of Russian-language works into other languages ​​- French and German. Thanks to Turgenev, readers abroad learned about the works of Russian authors. A short biography of Turgenev for children notes the growth of the author's popularity during this period. The literary figure is considered one of the best writers of the century.

Leaving poetry almost at the very beginning of his literary activity, Turgenev returned to it shortly before his death. At this time he created the cycle of “Poems in Prose”. And “Literary and Everyday Memoirs” are written in the genre of memoirs. The author seems to have a presentiment of his imminent death and sums up the results in his works.

Useful video: briefly about Turgenev’s work

Main themes of the works

Considering the life and work of Turgenev, it is necessary to characterize the themes of his works. The works pay a lot of attention to descriptions of nature and psychological analysis. They reveal images of representatives of the noble class, which the author considers dying. Supporters of democracy and commoners are considered heroes of the new century. Thanks to the writer’s works, the concept of “Turgenev girls” came into literature. Another topic is the peculiarities of life of Russian people abroad.

The most important thing lies in the beliefs of the writers. He had a negative attitude towards serfdom and sympathized with the peasants. Because of his hatred of the existing way of life in Russia, the literary figure preferred to live abroad. But at the same time he was not a supporter of revolutionary methods of solving the problem.

A short biography for children tells about the serious health condition of the author in the last few years of his life. Ivan Sergeevich suffers from gout, neuralgia and angina. Death occurred on August 22, 1883. The cause was sarcoma. He then lived in a Parisian suburb. He was buried at the Volkovskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg.

Turgenev had a difficult personal life. In his youth, he unsuccessfully became interested in the daughter of Princess Shakhovskaya. His father was also in love with the same girl, to whom Catherine reciprocated.

While living in exile, he had a relationship with Avdotya Ermolaevna Ivanova (seamstress Dunyasha). Despite the girl’s pregnancy, the writer never married due to the scandal caused by his mother. Avdotya gave birth to a daughter, Pelageya. The girl was officially recognized by her father only in 1857.

After returning to Moscow, the writer developed friendly relations with Tatyana Bakunina. The girl had a serious feeling for him, which Ivan Sergeevich highly valued, but could not reciprocate.

In 1843, he met the singer Pauline Viardot. She was married, but this did not stop the writer from getting seriously carried away. The specifics of their relationship are unknown, but there is an assumption that they lived as spouses for some time (when her husband was paralyzed after a stroke).

The writer's daughter Pelageya was raised in the Viardot family. Her father decided to change her name, calling her Polina or Polynet. The girl’s relationship with Polina Viardot was unsuccessful, so very soon she was sent to study at a private boarding school.

Maria Savina became his last love. The literary figure was almost 40 years older, but did not hide his feelings for the young actress. Maria treated the writer as a friend. She was supposed to marry someone else, but it didn’t work out. The marriage with Ivan Sergeevich did not take place due to his death.

Useful video: interesting facts about Turgenev

Conclusion

In fact, it is impossible to briefly review the life and work of Turgenev. He was a creative person with a wide range of interests. He left behind a huge legacy in the form of poems, plays and prose works, which still belong to the classics of world and domestic literature.

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A very short biography (in a nutshell)

Born on November 9, 1818 in Orel. Father - Sergei Nikolaevich Turgenev (1793-1834), military man. Mother - Varvara Petrovna Lutovinova (1787-1850), noblewoman. In 1836 he graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy of St. Petersburg University. From 1836 to 1839 he lived and studied in Germany. In 1852 he was exiled to his village for two years. He moved to Germany in 1863. In 1879 he received an honorary doctorate from Oxford University. Was not married. Had an illegitimate daughter. He was fond of hunting. Died on September 3, 1883 at the age of 64 in Paris. He was buried at the Volkovskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg. Main works: “Fathers and Sons”, “Mumu”, “The Noble Nest”, “Rudin”, “Asya”, “On the Eve” and others.

Brief biography (details)

Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev is a Russian realist writer of the 19th century, poet, translator and corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. Turgenev was born on October 28 (November 9), 1818 in the city of Orel into a noble family. The writer's father was a retired officer, and his mother was a hereditary noblewoman. Turgenev spent his childhood on a family estate, where he had personal teachers, tutors, and serf nannies. In 1827, the Turgenev family moved to Moscow in order to give their children a decent education. There he studied at a boarding school, then studied with private teachers. Since childhood, the writer spoke several foreign languages, including English, French and German.

In 1833, Ivan entered Moscow University, and a year later he transferred to St. Petersburg to the literature department. In 1838 he went to Berlin to lecture in classical philology. There he met Bakunin and Stankevich, meetings with whom were of great importance for the writer. During the two years he spent abroad, he managed to visit France, Italy, Germany and Holland. The return to their homeland took place in 1841. At the same time, he begins to actively attend literary circles, where he meets Gogol, Herzen, Aksakov, etc.

In 1843, Turgenev entered service in the office of the Minister of Internal Affairs. In the same year, he met Belinsky, who had a significant influence on the formation of the literary and social views of the young writer. In 1846, Turgenev wrote several works: “Briter”, “Three Portraits”, “Freeloader”, “Provincial Woman”, etc. In 1852, one of the writer’s best stories, “Mumu,” appeared. The story was written while serving exile in Spassky-Lutovinovo. In 1852, “Notes of a Hunter” appeared, and after the death of Nicholas I, 4 of Turgenev’s largest works were published: “On the Eve”, “Rudin”, “Fathers and Sons”, “The Noble Nest”.

Turgenev gravitated towards the circle of Westernized writers. In 1863, together with the Viardot family, he left for Baden-Baden, where he actively participated in cultural life and made acquaintances with the best writers of Western Europe. Among them were Dickens, George Sand, Prosper Merimee, Thackeray, Victor Hugo and many others. Soon he became the editor of foreign translators of Russian writers. In 1878 he was appointed vice-president of the international congress of literature held in Paris. The following year, Turgenev was awarded an honorary doctorate from Oxford University. Living abroad, his soul was still drawn to his homeland, which was reflected in the novel “Smoke” (1867). The largest in volume was his novel “New” (1877). I. S. Turgenev died near Paris on August 22 (September 3), 1883. The writer was buried according to his will in St. Petersburg.

Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev was born on October 28, 1818 in the Oryol province. His father, Sergei Nikolaevich, is a retired hussar officer, a participant in the Patriotic War of 1812. Mother - Varvara Petrovna (nee Lutovinskaya) - came from a wealthy landowner family, so many said that Sergei Nikolaevich married her solely for money.
Until the age of 9, Turgenev lived on his mother’s family estate, Spasskoye-Lutavinovo, Oryol province. Varvara Petrovna had a tough (sometimes cruel) character and was disdainful of everything Russian, so little Vanya was taught three languages ​​from childhood - French, German and English. The boy received his primary education from tutors and home teachers.

Turgenev's education

In 1827, Turgenev’s parents, wanting to give their children a decent education, moved to Moscow, where they sent Ivan Sergeevich to study at the Weidenhammer boarding school, and then under the guidance of private teachers.
At the age of fifteen, in 1833, Turgenev entered the literature department of Moscow University. A year later, the Turgenevs moved to St. Petersburg, and Ivan Sergeevich transferred to St. Petersburg University. He graduated from this educational institution in 1836 with the degree of a full student.
Turgenev was passionate about science and dreamed of devoting his life to it, so in 1837 he passed the exam for the degree of Candidate of Sciences.
He received further education abroad. In 1838 Turgenev left for Germany. Having settled in Berlin, he attended lectures on classical philology and philosophy, and studied the grammar of ancient Greek and Latin. In addition to his studies, Ivan Sergeevich traveled a lot throughout Europe: he traveled almost all of Germany, visited Holland, France, and Italy. In addition, during this period he met and became friends with T.N. Granovsky, N.V. Stankevich and M.A. Bakunin, who had a significant influence on Turgenev’s worldview.
A year after returning to Russia, in 1842, Ivan Sergeevich applied for an exam at Moscow University for a master's degree in philosophy. He successfully passed the exam and hoped to receive the position of professor at Moscow University, but soon philosophy as a science fell out of favor with the emperor and the philosophy department was closed - Turgenev failed to become a professor.

Turgenev's literary activity

After returning from abroad, Turgenev settled in Moscow and, at the insistence of his mother, entered the bureaucratic service in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. But the service did not bring him satisfaction; he was much more passionate about literature.
Turgenev began trying himself as a writer in the mid-1830s, and his first publication took place in Sovremennik in 1838 (these were the poems “Evening” and “To the Venus of Medicea”). Turgenev continued to collaborate with this publication as an author and critic for a long time.
During this period, he actively began to attend various literary salons and circles, communicated with many writers - V.G. Belinsky, N.A. Nekrasov, N.V. Gogol, etc. By the way, communication with V.G. Belinsky significantly influenced Turgenev's literary views: from romanticism and poetry he moved to descriptive and morally oriented prose.
In the 1840s, such stories by Turgenev as “The Breter,” “The Three Little Pigs,” “The Freeloader” and others were published. And in 1852, the writer’s first book, “Notes of a Hunter,” was published.
In the same year, he wrote an obituary for N.V. Gogol, which served as the reason for the arrest of Turgenev and his exile to the family estate of Spassk-Lutavinovo.
Turgenev received the rise of the social movement that occurred in Russia before the abolition of serfdom with enthusiasm. He took part in the development of plans for the upcoming reconstruction of peasant life. He even became an unofficial employee of Kolokol. However, if the need for social and political transformations was obvious to everyone, the opinions of the intelligentsia differed regarding the details of the reform process. Thus, Turgenev had disagreements with Dobrolyubov, who wrote a critical article on the novel “On the Eve,” and Nekrasov, who published this article. Also, the writer did not support Herzen that the peasantry is capable of making a revolution.
Later, already living in Baden-Baden, Turgenev collaborated with the liberal-bourgeois Vestnik-Europe. In the last years of his life he acted as a “mediator” between Western and Russian writers.

Personal life of Turgenev

In 1843 (according to some sources in 1845) I.S. Turgenev met the French singer Pauline Viardot-Garcia, who was giving a tour in Russia. The writer fell passionately in love, but he understood that it was hardly possible to build a relationship with this woman: firstly, she is married, and secondly, she is a foreigner.
However, in 1847, Turgenev, together with Viardot and her husband, went abroad (first to Germany, then to France). Ivan Sergeevich’s mother was categorically against the “damned gypsy” and deprived him of his financial support for his son’s relationship with Polina Viardot.
After returning home in 1850, relations between Turgenev and Viardot cooled. Ivan Sergeevich even started a new romance with a distant relative O.A. Turgeneva.
In 1863, Turgenev again became close to Polina Viardot and finally moved to Europe. With Viardot he lived first in Baden-Baden, and from 1871 in Paris.
Turgenev's popularity at this time, both in Russia and in the West, was truly colossal. Each of his visits to his homeland was accompanied by triumph. However, the writer himself found the trip more and more difficult - in 1882, a serious illness began to manifest itself - cancer of the spine.

I.S. Turgenev felt and was aware of his approaching death, but he endured it, as befits a master of philosophy, without fear or panic. The writer died in Bougival (near Paris) on September 3, 1883. According to his will, Turgenev's body was brought to Russia and buried at the Volkovskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg.

Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev. Born on October 28 (November 9), 1818 in Orel - died on August 22 (September 3), 1883 in Bougival (France). Russian realist writer, poet, publicist, playwright, translator. One of the classics of Russian literature who made the most significant contribution to its development in the second half of the 19th century. Corresponding member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in the category of Russian language and literature (1860), honorary doctor of the University of Oxford (1879).

The artistic system he created influenced the poetics of not only Russian, but also Western European novels of the second half of the 19th century. Ivan Turgenev was the first in Russian literature to begin to study the personality of the “new man” - the sixties, his moral qualities and psychological characteristics, thanks to him the term “nihilist” began to be widely used in the Russian language. He was a promoter of Russian literature and drama in the West.

The study of the works of I. S. Turgenev is a mandatory part of general education school programs in Russia. The most famous works are the cycle of stories “Notes of a Hunter”, the story “Mumu”, the story “Asya”, the novels “The Noble Nest”, “Fathers and Sons”.

The family of Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev came from an ancient family of Tula nobles, the Turgenevs. In a memorial book, the mother of the future writer wrote: “On October 28, 1818, on Monday, a son, Ivan, 12 inches tall, was born in Orel, in his house, at 12 o’clock in the morning. Baptized on the 4th of November, Feodor Semenovich Uvarov and his sister Fedosya Nikolaevna Teplova.”

Ivan's father Sergei Nikolaevich Turgenev (1793-1834) served at that time in a cavalry regiment. The carefree lifestyle of the handsome cavalry guard upset his finances, and to improve his position, in 1816 he entered into a marriage of convenience with the middle-aged, unattractive, but very wealthy Varvara Petrovna Lutovinova (1787-1850). In 1821, my father retired with the rank of colonel of a cuirassier regiment. Ivan was the second son in the family.

The mother of the future writer, Varvara Petrovna, came from a wealthy noble family. Her marriage to Sergei Nikolaevich was not happy.

The father died in 1834, leaving three sons - Nikolai, Ivan and Sergei, who died early from epilepsy. The mother was a domineering and despotic woman. She herself lost her father at an early age, suffered from the cruel attitude of her mother (whom her grandson later portrayed as an old woman in the essay “Death”), and from a violent, drinking stepfather, who often beat her. Due to constant beatings and humiliation, she later moved in with her uncle, after whose death she became the owner of a magnificent estate and 5,000 souls.

Varvara Petrovna was a difficult woman. Feudal habits coexisted in her with being well-read and educated; she combined concern for raising children with family despotism. Ivan was also subjected to maternal beatings, despite the fact that he was considered her beloved son. The boy was taught literacy by frequently changing French and German tutors.

In Varvara Petrovna’s family, everyone spoke exclusively French to each other, even prayers in the house were said in French. She traveled widely and was an enlightened woman who read a lot, but also mainly in French. But her native language and literature were not alien to her: she herself had excellent, figurative Russian speech, and Sergei Nikolaevich demanded that the children write letters to him in Russian during their father’s absences.

The Turgenev family maintained connections with V. A. Zhukovsky and M. N. Zagoskin. Varvara Petrovna followed the latest literature, was well aware of the works of N.M. Karamzin, V.A. Zhukovsky, and, whom she readily quoted in letters to her son.

A love of Russian literature was also instilled in young Turgenev by one of the serf valets (who later became the prototype of Punin in the story “Punin and Baburin”). Until he was nine years old, Ivan Turgenev lived on his mother’s hereditary estate Spasskoye-Lutovinovo, 10 km from Mtsensk, Oryol province.

In 1827, the Turgenevs, in order to give their children an education, settled in Moscow, buying a house on Samotek. The future writer first studied at the Weidenhammer boarding school, then became a boarder with the director of the Lazarev Institute I.F. Krause.

In 1833, at the age of 15, Turgenev entered the literature department of Moscow University. At the same time, they also studied here. A year later, after Ivan’s older brother joined the Guards Artillery, the family moved to St. Petersburg, where Ivan Turgenev transferred to the Faculty of Philosophy at St. Petersburg University. At the university, T. N. Granovsky, the future famous scientist-historian of the Western school, became his friend.

At first, Turgenev wanted to become a poet. In 1834, as a third-year student, he wrote a dramatic poem in iambic pentameter "Steno". The young author showed these samples of writing to his teacher, professor of Russian literature P. A. Pletnev. During one of his lectures, Pletnev quite strictly analyzed this poem, without revealing its authorship, but at the same time also admitted that there was “something in the author.”

These words prompted the young poet to write a number of more poems, two of which Pletnev published in 1838 in the Sovremennik magazine, of which he was the editor. They were published under the signature “....въ”. The debut poems were “Evening” and “To the Venus of Medicine”. Turgenev's first publication appeared in 1836 - in the Journal of the Ministry of Public Education, he published a detailed review of A. N. Muravyov's “On a Journey to Holy Places.”

By 1837, he had already written about a hundred short poems and several poems (the unfinished “The Old Man’s Tale,” “Calm on the Sea,” “Phantasmagoria on a Moonlit Night,” “Dream”).

In 1836, Turgenev graduated from the university with the degree of a full student. Dreaming of scientific activity, the following year he passed the final exam and received a candidate's degree.

In 1838 he went to Germany, where he settled in Berlin and took up his studies seriously. At the University of Berlin he attended lectures on the history of Roman and Greek literature, and at home he studied the grammar of ancient Greek and Latin. Knowledge of ancient languages ​​allowed him to read the ancient classics fluently.

In May 1839, the old house in Spassky burned down, and Turgenev returned to his homeland, but already in 1840 he went abroad again, visiting Germany, Italy and Austria. Impressed by his meeting with a girl in Frankfurt am Main, Turgenev later wrote a story "Spring Waters".

In 1841, Ivan returned to Lutovinovo.

At the beginning of 1842, he submitted a request to Moscow University for admission to the exam for the degree of Master of Philosophy, but at that time there was no full-time professor of philosophy at the university, and his request was rejected. Unable to find a job in Moscow, Turgenev satisfactorily passed the exam for a master's degree in Greek and Latin philology in Latin at St. Petersburg University and wrote a dissertation for the literature department. But by this time, the craving for scientific activity had cooled, and literary creativity began to attract more and more.

Having refused to defend his dissertation, he served until 1844 with the rank of collegiate secretary in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

In 1843, Turgenev wrote the poem “Parasha”. Not really hoping for a positive review, he nevertheless took the copy to V.G. Belinsky. Belinsky praised Parasha, publishing his review in Otechestvennye zapiski two months later. From that time on, their acquaintance began, which later grew into a strong friendship. Turgenev was even godfather to Belinsky’s son, Vladimir.

In November 1843, Turgenev created a poem "Foggy Morning", set to music over the years by several composers, including A.F. Gedicke and G.L. Catoire. The most famous, however, is the romance version, originally published under the signature “Music of Abaza.” Whether it belongs to V.V. Abaza, E.A. Abaza or Yu.F. Abaza has not been definitively established. After its publication, the poem was perceived as a reflection of Turgenev's love for Pauline Viardot, whom he met at this time.

A poem was written in 1844 "Pop", which the writer himself characterized rather as fun, devoid of any “deep and significant ideas.” Nevertheless, the poem attracted public interest for its anti-clerical nature. The poem was truncated by Russian censorship, but was published in its entirety abroad.

In 1846, the stories “Breter” and “Three Portraits” were published. In “The Breter,” which became Turgenev’s second story, the writer tried to imagine the struggle between Lermontov’s influence and the desire to discredit posturing. The plot for his third story, “Three Portraits,” was drawn from the Lutovinov family chronicle.

Since 1847, Ivan Turgenev participated in the transformed Sovremennik, where he became close to N. A. Nekrasov and P. V. Annenkov. His first feuilleton “Modern Notes” was published in the magazine, the first chapters began to be published "Notes of a Hunter". In the very first issue of Sovremennik, the story “Khor and Kalinich” was published, which opened countless editions of the famous book. The subtitle “From the Notes of a Hunter” was added by editor I. I. Panaev to attract the attention of readers to the story. The success of the story turned out to be enormous, and this gave Turgenev the idea of ​​writing a number of others of the same kind.

In 1847, Turgenev and Belinsky went abroad and in 1848 lived in Paris, where he witnessed revolutionary events.

Having witnessed the killing of hostages, many attacks, the construction and fall of the barricades of the February French Revolution, he forever endured a deep disgust for revolutions in general. A little later, he became close to A.I. Herzen and fell in love with Ogarev’s wife N.A. Tuchkova.

The late 1840s - early 1850s became the time of Turgenev's most intense activity in the field of drama and a time of reflection on issues of history and theory of drama.

In 1848 he wrote such plays as “Where it is thin, there it breaks” and “Freeloader”, in 1849 - “Breakfast at the Leader” and “Bachelor”, in 1850 - “A Month in the Country”, in 1851 -m - “Provincial”. Of these, “Freeloader”, “Bachelor”, “Provincial Woman” and “A Month in the Country” enjoyed success thanks to excellent stage performances.

To master the literary techniques of drama, the writer also worked on translations of Shakespeare. At the same time, he did not try to copy Shakespeare’s dramatic techniques, he only interpreted his images, and all attempts by his contemporaries-playwrights to use Shakespeare’s work as a role model and to borrow his theatrical techniques only caused Turgenev irritation. In 1847 he wrote: “Shakespeare’s shadow looms over all dramatic writers; they cannot rid themselves of memories; These unfortunates read too much and lived too little.”

In 1850, Turgenev returned to Russia, but he never saw his mother, who died that same year. Together with his brother Nikolai, he shared his mother’s large fortune and, if possible, tried to ease the hardships of the peasants he inherited.

After Gogol's death, Turgenev wrote an obituary, which St. Petersburg censorship did not allow. The reason for her dissatisfaction was that, as the chairman of the St. Petersburg Censorship Committee M. N. Musin-Pushkin put it, “it is criminal to speak so enthusiastically about such a writer.” Then Ivan Sergeevich sent the article to Moscow, V.P. Botkin, who published it in Moskovskie Vedomosti. The authorities saw a rebellion in the text, and the author was placed in a moving house, where he spent a month. On May 18, Turgenev was exiled to his native village, and only thanks to the efforts of Count A.K. Tolstoy, two years later the writer again received the right to live in the capitals.

There is an opinion that the real reason for the exile was not Gogol’s obituary, but the excessive radicalism of Turgenev’s views, manifested in sympathy for Belinsky, suspiciously frequent trips abroad, sympathetic stories about serfs, and a laudatory review of Turgenev by the emigrant Herzen.

Censor Lvov, who allowed “Notes of a Hunter” to be published, was, by personal order of Nicholas I, dismissed from service and deprived of his pension.

Russian censorship also banned the re-publication of Notes of a Hunter, explaining this step by the fact that Turgenev, on the one hand, poeticized the serfs, and on the other hand, depicted “that these peasants are oppressed, that the landowners behave indecently and illegally... finally, that it is more comfortable for the peasant to live in freedom "

During his exile in Spassky, Turgenev went hunting, read books, wrote stories, played chess, listened to Beethoven’s “Coriolanus” performed by A.P. Tyutcheva and her sister, who lived in Spassky at that time, and from time to time was subjected to raids by the police officer .

Most of the “Notes of a Hunter” were created by the writer in Germany.

“Notes of a Hunter” was published in Paris in a separate edition in 1854, although at the beginning of the Crimean War this publication was in the nature of anti-Russian propaganda, and Turgenev was forced to publicly express his protest against the poor quality French translation by Ernest Charrière. After the death of Nicholas I, four of the writer’s most significant works were published one after another: “Rudin” (1856), “The Noble Nest” (1859), “On the Eve” (1860) and “Fathers and Sons” (1862).

In the fall of 1855, Turgenev's circle of friends expanded. In September of the same year, Tolstoy’s story “Cutting the Forest” was published in Sovremennik with a dedication to I. S. Turgenev.

Turgenev took an active part in the discussion of the upcoming Peasant Reform, participated in the development of various collective letters, draft addresses addressed to the sovereign, protests, etc.

In 1860, Sovremennik published an article “When will the real day come?”, in which the critic spoke very flatteringly about the new novel “On the Eve” and Turgenev’s work in general. Nevertheless, Turgenev was not satisfied with Dobrolyubov’s far-reaching conclusions that he made after reading the novel. Dobrolyubov connected the idea of ​​Turgenev’s work with the events of the approaching revolutionary transformation of Russia, which the liberal Turgenev could not reconcile with.

At the end of 1862, Turgenev was involved in the trial of the 32 in the case of “persons accused of having relations with London propagandists.” After the authorities ordered an immediate appearance at the Senate, Turgenev decided to write a letter to the sovereign, trying to convince him of the loyalty of his convictions, “completely independent, but conscientious.” He asked for the interrogation points to be sent to him in Paris. In the end, he was forced to go to Russia in 1864 for Senate interrogation, where he managed to avert all suspicions from himself. The Senate found him not guilty. Turgenev’s appeal personally to Emperor Alexander II caused Herzen’s bilious reaction in The Bell.

In 1863, Turgenev settled in Baden-Baden. The writer actively participated in the cultural life of Western Europe, establishing acquaintances with the greatest writers of Germany, France and England, promoting Russian literature abroad and introducing Russian readers to the best works of contemporary Western authors. Among his acquaintances or correspondents were Friedrich Bodenstedt, William Thackeray, Henry James, Charles Saint-Beuve, Hippolyte Taine, Prosper Mérimée, Ernest Renan, Théophile Gautier, Edmond Goncourt, Alphonse Daudet, .

Despite living abroad, all of Turgenev’s thoughts were still connected with Russia. He wrote a novel "Smoke"(1867), which caused a lot of controversy in Russian society. According to the author, everyone scolded the novel: “both red and white, and above, and below, and from the side - especially from the side.”

In 1868, Turgenev became a permanent contributor to the liberal magazine “Bulletin of Europe” and broke ties with M. N. Katkov.

Since 1874, famous Bachelor's "dinners of five" - ​​Flaubert, Edmond Goncourt, Daudet, Zola and Turgenev. The idea belonged to Flaubert, but Turgenev was given the main role in them. Luncheons took place once a month. They raised various topics - about the features of literature, about the structure of the French language, told stories and simply enjoyed delicious food. Dinners were held not only at Parisian restaurateurs, but also at the homes of the writers themselves.

In 1878, at the international literary congress in Paris, the writer was elected vice-president.

On June 18, 1879, he was awarded the title of honorary doctor of the University of Oxford, despite the fact that the university had never given such an honor to any fiction writer before him.

The fruit of the writer’s thoughts in the 1870s became the largest in volume of his novels - "Nove"(1877), which was also criticized. For example, he regarded this novel as a service to the autocracy.

In April 1878, Leo Tolstoy invited Turgenev to forget all the misunderstandings between them, to which Turgenev happily agreed. Friendly relations and correspondence were resumed. Turgenev explained the significance of modern Russian literature, including Tolstoy's work, to Western readers. In general, Ivan Turgenev played a big role in promoting Russian literature abroad.

However, in the novel “Demons” he portrayed Turgenev as the “great writer Karmazinov” - a loud, petty, well-worn and practically mediocre writer who considers himself a genius and is holed up abroad. Such an attitude towards Turgenev by the always needy Dostoevsky was caused, among other things, by Turgenev’s secure position in his noble life and the very high literary fees for those times: “To Turgenev for his “Noble Nest” (I finally read it. Extremely well) Katkov himself (from whom I I ask for 100 rubles per sheet) I gave 4000 rubles, that is, 400 rubles per sheet. My friend! I know very well that I write worse than Turgenev, but not too much worse, and finally, I hope to write not worse at all. Why am I, with my needs, taking only 100 rubles, and Turgenev, who has 2000 souls, 400 each?”

Turgenev, without hiding his hostility towards Dostoevsky, in a letter to M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin in 1882 (after Dostoevsky’s death) also did not spare his opponent, calling him “the Russian Marquis de Sade.”

His visits to Russia in 1878-1881 were real triumphs. All the more alarming in 1882 was the news of a severe exacerbation of his usual gouty pain.

In the spring of 1882, the first signs of the disease were discovered, which soon turned out to be fatal for Turgenev. With temporary relief from the pain, he continued to work and a few months before his death he published the first part of “Poems in Prose” - a cycle of lyrical miniatures, which became his kind of farewell to life, homeland and art.

Parisian doctors Charcot and Jacquot diagnosed the writer with angina pectoris. Soon intercostal neuralgia joined her. The last time Turgenev was in Spassky-Lutovinovo was in the summer of 1881. The sick writer spent the winters in Paris, and in the summer he was transported to Bougival to the Viardot estate.

By January 1883 the pain had become so severe that he could not sleep without morphine. He had surgery to remove a neuroma in the lower abdomen, but the surgery helped little because it did not relieve the pain in the thoracic region of the spine. The disease progressed; in March and April the writer suffered so much that those around him began to notice momentary cloudings of reason, caused in part by taking morphine.

The writer was fully aware of his imminent death and came to terms with the consequences of the disease, which deprived him of the ability to walk or simply stand.

The confrontation between “an unimaginably painful illness and an unimaginably strong organism” (P.V. Annenkov) ended on August 22 (September 3), 1883 in Bougival near Paris. Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev died from myxosarcoma (a malignant tumor of the bones of the spine). Doctor S.P. Botkin testified that the true cause of death was clarified only after an autopsy, during which his brain was also weighed by physiologists. As it turned out, among those whose brains were weighed, Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev had the largest brain (2012 grams, which is almost 600 grams more than the average weight).

Turgenev's death was a great shock for his admirers, resulting in a very impressive funeral. The funeral was preceded by mourning celebrations in Paris, in which over four hundred people took part. Among them were at least a hundred Frenchmen: Edmond Abou, Jules Simon, Emile Ogier, Emile Zola, Alphonse Daudet, Juliette Adam, artist Alfred Dieudonnet, composer Jules Massenet. Ernest Renan addressed the mourners with a heartfelt speech.

Even from the border station of Verzhbolovo, memorial services were held at stops. On the platform of the St. Petersburg Warsaw Station there was a solemn meeting between the coffin and the body of the writer.

There were some misunderstandings. The day after the funeral service for Turgenev’s body in the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral on Daru Street in Paris, on September 19, the famous emigrant populist P.L. Lavrov published a letter in the Parisian newspaper Justice, edited by the future socialist prime minister, in which he reported that S. Turgenev, on his own initiative, transferred 500 francs to Lavrov annually for three years to facilitate the publication of the revolutionary emigrant newspaper “Forward”.

Russian liberals were outraged by this news, considering it a provocation. The conservative press represented by M. N. Katkov, on the contrary, took advantage of Lavrov’s message to posthumously persecute Turgenev in the Russky Vestnik and Moskovskiye Vedomosti in order to prevent the honoring in Russia of the deceased writer, whose body “without any publicity, with special caution” should was to arrive in the capital from Paris for burial.

The trace of Turgenev's ashes greatly worried the Minister of Internal Affairs D. A. Tolstoy, who feared spontaneous rallies. According to the editor of Vestnik Evropy, M. M. Stasyulevich, who accompanied Turgenev’s body, the precautions taken by officials were as inappropriate as if he were accompanying the Nightingale the Robber, and not the body of the great writer.

Personal life of Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev:

The first romantic interest of young Turgenev was falling in love with the daughter of Princess Shakhovskaya - Ekaterina Shakhovskaya(1815-1836), young poetess. The estates of their parents in the Moscow region bordered, they often exchanged visits. He was 15, she was 19.

In letters to her son, Varvara Turgenev called Ekaterina Shakhovskaya a “poet” and a “villain,” since Sergei Nikolaevich himself, Ivan Turgenev’s father, to whom the girl reciprocated, could not resist the charms of the young princess, which broke the heart of the future writer. The episode much later, in 1860, was reflected in the story “First Love,” in which the writer endowed the heroine of the story, Zinaida Zasekina, with some of the traits of Katya Shakhovskaya.

In 1841, during his return to Lutovinovo, Ivan became interested in the seamstress Dunyasha ( Avdotya Ermolaevna Ivanova). A romance began between the young couple, which ended in the girl’s pregnancy. Ivan Sergeevich immediately expressed a desire to marry her. However, his mother made a serious scandal about this, after which he went to St. Petersburg. Turgenev's mother, having learned about Avdotya's pregnancy, hastily sent her to Moscow to her parents, where Pelageya was born on April 26, 1842. Dunyasha was married off, leaving her daughter in an ambiguous position. Turgenev officially recognized the child only in 1857.

Soon after the episode with Avdotya Ivanova, Turgenev met Tatiana Bakunina(1815-1871), sister of the future emigrant revolutionary M. A. Bakunin. Returning to Moscow after his stay in Spassky, he stopped at the Bakunin estate Premukhino. The winter of 1841-1842 was spent in close communication with the circle of Bakunin brothers and sisters.

All of Turgenev's friends - N.V. Stankevich, V.G. Belinsky and V.P. Botkin - were in love with Mikhail Bakunin's sisters, Lyubov, Varvara and Alexandra.

Tatyana was three years older than Ivan. Like all young Bakunins, she was passionate about German philosophy and perceived her relationships with others through the prism of Fichte’s idealistic concept. She wrote letters to Turgenev in German, full of lengthy reasoning and self-analysis, despite the fact that the young people lived in the same house, and she also expected from Turgenev an analysis of the motives of her own actions and reciprocal feelings. “The ‘philosophical’ novel,” as G. A. Byaly noted, “in the vicissitudes of which the entire younger generation of Premukha’s nest took an active part, lasted several months.” Tatyana was truly in love. Ivan Sergeevich did not remain completely indifferent to the love he awakened. He wrote several poems (the poem “Parasha” was also inspired by communication with Bakunina) and a story dedicated to this sublimely ideal, mostly literary and epistolary hobby. But he could not respond with serious feelings.

Among the writer’s other fleeting hobbies, there were two more that played a certain role in his work. In the 1850s, a fleeting romance broke out with a distant cousin, eighteen-year-old Olga Alexandrovna Turgeneva. The love was mutual, and the writer was thinking about marriage in 1854, the prospect of which at the same time frightened him. Olga later served as the prototype for the image of Tatyana in the novel “Smoke”.

Turgenev was also indecisive with Maria Nikolaevna Tolstoy. Ivan Sergeevich wrote about Leo Tolstoy’s sister to P.V. Annenkov: “His sister is one of the most attractive creatures I have ever met. Sweet, smart, simple - I couldn’t take my eyes off her. In my old age (I turned 36 on the fourth day) - I almost fell in love.”

For the sake of Turgenev, twenty-four-year-old M.N. Tolstaya had already left her husband; she mistook the writer’s attention to herself for true love. But Turgenev limited himself to a platonic hobby, and Maria Nikolaevna served him as a prototype for Verochka from the story “Faust”.

In the fall of 1843, Turgenev first saw her on the stage of the opera house, when the great singer came on tour to St. Petersburg. Turgenev was 25 years old, Viardot was 22 years old. Then, while hunting, he met Polina’s husband, the director of the Italian Theater in Paris, a famous critic and art critic, Louis Viardot, and on November 1, 1843, he was introduced to Polina herself.

Among the mass of fans, she did not particularly single out Turgenev, who was better known as an avid hunter rather than a writer. And when her tour ended, Turgenev, together with the Viardot family, left for Paris against the will of his mother, still unknown to Europe and without money. And this despite the fact that everyone considered him a rich man. But this time his extremely cramped financial situation was explained precisely by his disagreement with his mother, one of the richest women in Russia and the owner of a huge agricultural and industrial empire.

For his attachment to the “damned gypsy,” his mother did not give him money for three years. During these years, his lifestyle bore little resemblance to the stereotype of the life of a “rich Russian” that had developed about him.

In November 1845, he returned to Russia, and in January 1847, having learned about Viardot’s tour in Germany, he left the country again: he went to Berlin, then to London, Paris, a tour of France and again to St. Petersburg. Without an official marriage, Turgenev lived with the Viardot family “on the edge of someone else’s nest,” as he himself said.

Polina Viardot raised Turgenev's illegitimate daughter.

In the early 1860s, the Viardot family settled in Baden-Baden, and with them Turgenev (“Villa Tourgueneff”). Thanks to the Viardot family and Ivan Turgenev, their villa became an interesting musical and artistic center.

The war of 1870 forced the Viardot family to leave Germany and move to Paris, where the writer also moved.

The true nature of the relationship between Pauline Viardot and Turgenev is still a matter of debate. There is an opinion that after Louis Viardot was paralyzed as a result of a stroke, Polina and Turgenev actually entered into a marital relationship. Louis Viardot was twenty years older than Polina; he died the same year as I. S. Turgenev.

The writer's last love was the actress of the Alexandrinsky Theater. Their meeting took place in 1879, when the young actress was 25 years old and Turgenev was 61 years old. The actress at that time played the role of Verochka in Turgenev’s play “A Month in the Village.” The role was played so vividly that the writer himself was amazed. After this performance, he went to the actress backstage with a large bouquet of roses and exclaimed: “Did I really write this Verochka?!”

Ivan Turgenev fell in love with her, which he openly admitted. The rarity of their meetings was compensated by regular correspondence, which lasted four years. Despite Turgenev's sincere relationship, for Maria he was more of a good friend. She was planning to marry someone else, but the marriage never took place. Savina’s marriage to Turgenev was also not destined to come true - the writer died in the circle of the Viardot family.

Turgenev's personal life was not entirely successful. Having lived for 38 years in close contact with the Viardot family, the writer felt deeply lonely. Under these conditions, Turgenev’s depiction of love was formed, but love that was not entirely characteristic of his melancholy creative manner. There is almost no happy ending in his works, and the last chord is often sad. But nevertheless, almost none of the Russian writers paid so much attention to the depiction of love; no one idealized a woman to such an extent as Ivan Turgenev.

Turgenev never started his own family. The writer's daughter from seamstress Avdotya Ermolaevna Ivanova, married to Brewer (1842-1919), from the age of eight was raised in the family of Pauline Viardot in France, where Turgenev changed her name from Pelageya to Polina (Polinet, Paulinette), which seemed more euphonious to him.

Ivan Sergeevich arrived in France only six years later, when his daughter was already fourteen. Polinette almost forgot the Russian language and spoke exclusively French, which touched her father. At the same time, he was upset that the girl had a difficult relationship with Viardot herself. The girl was hostile to her father's beloved, and soon this led to the fact that the girl was sent to a private boarding school. When Turgenev next came to France, he took his daughter from the boarding school, and they moved in together, and a governess from England, Innis, was invited for Polynet.

At the age of seventeen, Polynet met the young entrepreneur Gaston Brewer, who made a pleasant impression on Ivan Turgenev, and he agreed to his daughter’s marriage. As a dowry, my father gave a considerable amount for those times - 150 thousand francs. The girl married Brewer, who soon went bankrupt, after which Polynette, with the assistance of her father, hid from her husband in Switzerland.

Since Turgenev's heir was Polina Viardot, after his death his daughter found herself in a difficult financial situation. She died in 1919 at the age of 76 from cancer. Polynet's children - Georges-Albert and Jeanne - had no descendants.

Georges-Albert died in 1924. Zhanna Brewer-Turgeneva never married - she lived, earning a living by giving private lessons, since she was fluent in five languages. She even tried herself in poetry, writing poems in French. She died in 1952 at the age of 80, and with her the family branch of the Turgenevs along the line of Ivan Sergeevich ended.

Bibliography of Turgenev:

1855 - “Rudin” (novel)
1858 - “The Noble Nest” (novel)
1860 - “On the Eve” (novel)
1862 - “Fathers and Sons” (novel)
1867 - “Smoke” (novel)
1877 - “Nov” (novel)
1844 - “Andrei Kolosov” (story)
1845 - “Three Portraits” (story)
1846 - “The Jew” (story)
1847 - “Breter” (story)
1848 - “Petushkov” (story)
1849 - “The Diary of an Extra Man” (short story)
1852 - “Mumu” ​​(story)
1852 - “The Inn” (story)

“Notes of a Hunter”: a collection of stories

1851 - “Bezhin Meadow”
1847 - “Biryuk”
1847 - “The Burmister”
1848 - “Hamlet of the Shchigrovsky district”
1847 - “Two Landowners”
1847 - “Yermolai and the miller’s wife”
1874 - “Living Relics”
1851 - “Kasyan with a Beautiful Sword”
1871-72 - “The End of Tchertopkhanov”
1847 - "Office"
1847 - “Swan”
1848 - “Forest and steppe”
1847 - “Lgov”
1847 - “Raspberry Water”
1847 - “My neighbor Radilov”
1847 - “Ovsyannikov’s Palace”
1850 - "Singers"
1864 - “Peter Petrovich Karataev”
1850 - "Date"
1847 - "Death"
1873-74 - “Knocks!”
1847 - “Tatyana Borisovna and her nephew”
1847 - “County doctor”
1846-47 - “Khor and Kalinich”
1848 - “Tchertophanov and Nedopyuskin”

1855 - “Yakov Pasynkov” (story)
1855 - “Faust” (story)
1856 - “Quiet” (story)
1857 - “A Trip to Polesie” (story)
1858 - “Asya” (story)
1860 - “First Love” (story)
1864 - “Ghosts” (story)
1866 - “Brigadier” (story)
1868 - “The Unhappy” (story)
1870 - “Strange Story” (short story)
1870 - “King Lear of the Steppes” (story)
1870 - “Dog” (story)
1871 - “Knock... knock... knock!..” (story)
1872 - “Spring Waters” (story)
1874 - “Punin and Baburin” (story)
1876 ​​- “The Hours” (story)
1877 - “Dream” (story)
1877 - “The Story of Father Alexei” (short story)
1881 - “Song of Triumphant Love” (short story)
1881 - “The Master’s Own Office” (story)
1883 - “After Death (Klara Milich)” (story)
1878 - “In memory of Yu. P. Vrevskaya” (poem in prose)
1882 - “How beautiful, how fresh the roses were...” (prose poem)
18?? - “Museum” (story)
18?? - “Farewell” (story)
18?? - “The Kiss” (story)
1848 - “Where it is thin, there it breaks” (play)
1848 - “Freeloader” (play)
1849 - “Breakfast at the Leader’s” (play)
1849 - “The Bachelor” (play)
1850 - “A Month in the Country” (play)
1851 - “Provincial Girl” (play)
1854 - “A few words about the poems of F. I. Tyutchev” (article)
1860 - “Hamlet and Don Quixote” (article)
1864 - “Speech on Shakespeare” (article)

Turgenev Ivan Sergeevich, whose stories, tales and novels are known and loved by many today, was born on October 28, 1818 in the city of Orel, into an old noble family. Ivan was the second son of Varvara Petrovna Turgeneva (née Lutovinova) and Sergei Nikolaevich Turgenev.

Turgenev's parents

His father served in the Elisavetgrad cavalry regiment. After his marriage, he retired with the rank of colonel. Sergei Nikolaevich belonged to an old noble family. His ancestors are believed to have been Tatars. Ivan Sergeevich’s mother was not as well-born as his father, but she surpassed him in wealth. The vast lands located in belonged to Varvara Petrovna. Sergei Nikolaevich stood out for his elegance of manners and secular sophistication. He had a subtle soul and was handsome. The mother's character was not like that. This woman lost her father early. She had to experience a terrible shock in adolescence, when her stepfather tried to seduce her. Varvara ran away from home. Ivan's mother, who experienced humiliation and oppression, tried to take advantage of the power given to her by law and nature over her sons. This woman was distinguished by her willpower. She loved her children despotically, and was cruel to the serfs, often punishing them with flogging for minor offenses.

Case in Bern

In 1822, the Turgenevs went on a trip abroad. In Bern, a Swiss city, Ivan Sergeevich almost died. The fact is that the father put the boy on the railing of the fence that surrounded a large pit with city bears entertaining the public. Ivan fell off the railing. Sergei Nikolaevich grabbed his son by the leg at the last moment.

Introduction to fine literature

The Turgenevs returned from their trip abroad to Spasskoye-Lutovinovo, their mother’s estate, located ten miles from Mtsensk (Oryol province). Here Ivan discovered literature for himself: one of the servants from his mother’s serfs read the poem “Rossiada” by Kheraskov to the boy in the old manner, in a chanting and measured manner. Kheraskov in solemn verses sang the battles for Kazan of the Tatars and Russians during the reign of Ivan Vasilyevich. Many years later, Turgenev, in his 1874 story “Punin and Baburin,” endowed one of the heroes of the work with a love for the Rossiade.

First love

The family of Ivan Sergeevich was in Moscow from the late 1820s to the first half of the 1830s. At the age of 15, Turgenev fell in love for the first time in his life. At this time, the family was at the Engel dacha. They were neighbors with their daughter, Princess Catherine, who was 3 years older than Ivan Turgenev. First love seemed captivating and beautiful to Turgenev. He was in awe of the girl, afraid to admit the sweet and languid feeling that had taken possession of him. However, the end to joys and torments, fears and hopes came suddenly: Ivan Sergeevich accidentally learned that Catherine was his father’s beloved. Turgenev was haunted by pain for a long time. He will give his love story for a young girl to the hero of the 1860 story “First Love.” In this work, Catherine became the prototype of Princess Zinaida Zasekina.

Studying at universities in Moscow and St. Petersburg, death of father

The biography of Ivan Turgenev continues with a period of study. In September 1834, Turgenev entered Moscow University, the Faculty of Literature. However, he was not happy with his studies at the university. He liked Pogorelsky, a mathematics teacher, and Dubensky, who taught Russian. Most teachers and courses left student Turgenev completely indifferent. And some teachers even caused obvious antipathy. This especially applies to Pobedonostsev, who talked tediously and for a long time about literature and was unable to advance in his passions further than Lomonosov. After 5 years, Turgenev will continue his studies in Germany. About Moscow University he will say: “It is full of fools.”

Ivan Sergeevich studied in Moscow for only a year. Already in the summer of 1834 he moved to St. Petersburg. Here his brother Nikolai served in military service. Ivan Turgenev continued to study at His father died in October of the same year from kidney stones, right in Ivan’s arms. By this time he was already living apart from his wife. Ivan Turgenev's father was amorous and quickly lost interest in his wife. Varvara Petrovna did not forgive him for his betrayal and, exaggerating her own misfortunes and illnesses, presented herself as a victim of his heartlessness and irresponsibility.

Turgenev left a deep wound in his soul. He began to think about life and death, about the meaning of existence. Turgenev at this time was attracted by powerful passions, bright characters, tossing and struggling of the soul, expressed in an unusual, sublime language. He reveled in the poems of V. G. Benediktov and N. V. Kukolnik, and the stories of A. A. Bestuzhev-Marlinsky. Ivan Turgenev wrote, in imitation of Byron (the author of "Manfred"), his dramatic poem called "The Wall". More than 30 years later, he will say that this is “a completely ridiculous work.”

Writing poetry, republican ideas

Turgenev in the winter of 1834-1835. seriously ill. He had weakness in his body and could not eat or sleep. Having recovered, Ivan Sergeevich changed greatly spiritually and physically. He became very stretched out, and also lost interest in mathematics, which had attracted him before, and began to become more and more interested in fine literature. Turgenev began to compose many poems, but still imitative and weak. At the same time, he became interested in republican ideas. He felt the serfdom that existed in the country as a shame and the greatest injustice. Turgenev’s feeling of guilt towards all the peasants strengthened, because his mother treated them cruelly. And he vowed to himself to do everything to ensure that there would be no class of “slaves” in Russia.

Meeting Pletnev and Pushkin, publication of the first poems

Student Turgenev in his third year met P. A. Pletnev, a professor of Russian literature. This is a literary critic, poet, friend of A. S. Pushkin, to whom the novel “Eugene Onegin” is dedicated. At the beginning of 1837, at a literary evening with him, Ivan Sergeevich encountered Pushkin himself.

In 1838, two poems by Turgenev were published in the Sovremennik magazine (first and fourth issues): “To the Venus of Medicine” and “Evening.” Ivan Sergeevich published poems after that. The first samples of the pen that were printed did not bring him fame.

Continuing your studies in Germany

In 1837, Turgenev graduated from St. Petersburg University (literature department). He was not satisfied with the education he received, feeling gaps in his knowledge. German universities were considered the standard of that time. And so in the spring of 1838, Ivan Sergeevich went to this country. He decided to graduate from the University of Berlin, where Hegel's philosophy was taught.

Abroad, Ivan Sergeevich became friends with the thinker and poet N.V. Stankevich, and also became friends with M.A. Bakunin, who later became a famous revolutionary. He held conversations on historical and philosophical topics with T. N. Granovsky, the future famous historian. Ivan Sergeevich became a convinced Westerner. Russia, in his opinion, should follow the example of Europe, getting rid of lack of culture, laziness, and ignorance.

Civil service

Turgenev, returning to Russia in 1841, wanted to teach philosophy. However, his plans were not destined to come true: the department to which he wanted to enter was not restored. Ivan Sergeevich was enlisted in the Ministry of Internal Affairs in June 1843. At that time, the issue of liberating the peasants was being studied, so Turgenev reacted to the service with enthusiasm. However, Ivan Sergeevich did not serve long in the ministry: he quickly became disillusioned with the usefulness of his work. He began to feel burdened by the need to follow all the instructions of his superiors. In April 1845, Ivan Sergeevich retired and was never again in public service.

Turgenev becomes famous

Turgenev in the 1840s began to play the role of a socialite in society: always well-groomed, neat, with the manners of an aristocrat. He wanted success and attention.

In 1843, in April, the poem “Parasha” by I. S. Turgenev was published. Its plot is the touching love of a landowner’s daughter for a neighbor on the estate. The work is a kind of ironic echo of Eugene Onegin. However, unlike Pushkin, in Turgenev’s poem everything ends happily with the marriage of the heroes. Nevertheless, happiness is deceptive, doubtful - it is just ordinary well-being.

The work was highly appreciated by V. G. Belinsky, the most influential and famous critic of that time. Turgenev met Druzhinin, Panaev, Nekrasov. Following "Parasha" Ivan Sergeevich wrote the following poems: in 1844 - "Conversation", in 1845 - "Andrey" and "Landowner". Turgenev Ivan Sergeevich also created short stories and tales (in 1844 - “Andrei Kolosov”, in 1846 - “Three Portraits” and “Breter”, in 1847 - “Petushkov”). In addition, Turgenev wrote the comedy "Lack of Money" in 1846, and the drama "Carelessness" in 1843. He followed the principles of the “natural school” of writers, to which Grigorovich, Nekrasov, Herzen, and Goncharov belonged. Writers belonging to this trend depicted “non-poetic” subjects: people’s everyday life, everyday life, and paid primary attention to the influence of circumstances and environment on a person’s fate and character.

"Notes of a Hunter"

In 1847, Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev published the essay “Khor and Kalinich,” created under the impression of hunting trips in 1846 through the fields and forests of the Tula, Kaluga and Oryol provinces. The two heroes in it - Khor and Kalinich - are presented not just as Russian peasants. These are individuals with their own complex inner world. On the pages of this work, as well as other essays by Ivan Sergeevich, published in the book “Notes of a Hunter” in 1852, the peasants have their own voice, different from the manner of the narrator. The author recreated the customs and life of landowners and peasants in Russia. His book was assessed as a protest against serfdom. Society received her with enthusiasm.

Relationship with Pauline Viardot, death of mother

In 1843, a young opera singer from France, Pauline Viardot, arrived on tour. She was greeted enthusiastically. Ivan Turgenev was also delighted with her talent. He was captivated by this woman for his entire life. Ivan Sergeevich followed her and her family to France (Viardot was married) and accompanied Polina on a tour of Europe. His life was now divided between France and Russia. Ivan Turgenev's love has stood the test of time - Ivan Sergeevich waited two years for his first kiss. And only in June 1849 Polina became his lover.

Turgenev's mother was categorically against this connection. She refused to give him the funds received from the income from the estates. Their death reconciled: Turgenev’s mother was dying hard, suffocating. She died in 1850 on November 16 in Moscow. Ivan was notified of her illness too late and did not have time to say goodbye to her.

Arrest and exile

In 1852, N.V. Gogol died. I. S. Turgenev wrote an obituary on this occasion. There were no reprehensible thoughts in it. However, it was not customary in the press to recall the duel that led to and also to recall the death of Lermontov. On April 16 of the same year, Ivan Sergeevich was put under arrest for a month. Then he was exiled to Spasskoye-Lutovinovo, without being allowed to leave the Oryol province. At the request of the exile, after 1.5 years he was allowed to leave Spassky, but only in 1856 was he given the right to go abroad.

New works

During the years of exile, Ivan Turgenev wrote new works. His books became increasingly popular. In 1852, Ivan Sergeevich created the story "The Inn". In the same year, Ivan Turgenev wrote “Mumu,” one of his most famous works. In the period from the late 1840s to the mid-1850s, he created other stories: in 1850 - "The Diary of an Extra Man", in 1853 - "Two Friends", in 1854 - "Correspondence" and "Quiet" , in 1856 - “Yakov Pasynkova”. Their heroes are naive and lofty idealists who fail in their attempts to benefit society or find happiness in their personal lives. Criticism called them "superfluous people." Thus, the creator of a new type of hero was Ivan Turgenev. His books were interesting for their novelty and relevance of issues.

"Rudin"

The fame acquired by Ivan Sergeevich by the mid-1850s was strengthened by the novel "Rudin". The author wrote it in 1855 in seven weeks. Turgenev, in his first novel, attempted to recreate the type of ideologist and thinker, modern man. The main character is an “extra person” who is depicted as both weak and attractive at the same time. The writer, creating him, endowed his hero with the features of Bakunin.

"The Noble Nest" and new novels

In 1858, Turgenev’s second novel, “The Noble Nest,” appeared. Its themes are the history of an old noble family; the love of a nobleman, hopeless due to circumstances. Poetry of love, full of grace and subtlety, careful depiction of the characters’ experiences, spiritualization of nature - these are the distinctive features of Turgenev’s style, perhaps most clearly expressed in “The Noble Nest.” They are also characteristic of some stories, such as “Faust” of 1856, “A Trip to Polesie” (years of creation - 1853-1857), “Asya” and “First Love” (both works written in 1860). "The Nobles' Nest" was received kindly. He was praised by many critics, in particular Annenkov, Pisarev, Grigoriev. However, a completely different fate awaited Turgenev's next novel.

"The day before"

In 1860, Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev published the novel “On the Eve”. Its summary is as follows. In the center of the work is Elena Stakhova. This heroine is a brave, determined, devotedly loving girl. She fell in love with the revolutionary Insarov, a Bulgarian who dedicated his life to liberating his homeland from the power of the Turks. The story of their relationship ends, as usual with Ivan Sergeevich, tragically. The revolutionary dies, and Elena, who became his wife, decides to continue the work of her late husband. This is the plot of the new novel created by Ivan Turgenev. Of course, we described its brief content only in general terms.

This novel caused conflicting assessments. Dobrolyubov, for example, in an instructive tone in his article reprimanded the author where he was wrong. Ivan Sergeevich became furious. Radical democratic publications published texts with scandalous and malicious allusions to the details of Turgenev’s personal life. The writer broke off relations with Sovremennik, where he published for many years. The younger generation stopped seeing Ivan Sergeevich as an idol.

"Fathers and Sons"

In the period from 1860 to 1861, Ivan Turgenev wrote “Fathers and Sons,” his new novel. It was published in the Russian Bulletin in 1862. Most readers and critics did not appreciate it.

"Enough"

In 1862-1864. a miniature story “Enough” was created (published in 1864). It is imbued with motives of disappointment in the values ​​of life, including art and love, so dear to Turgenev. In the face of inexorable and blind death, everything loses its meaning.

"Smoke"

Written in 1865-1867. The novel "Smoke" is also imbued with a gloomy mood. The work was published in 1867. In it, the author tried to recreate the picture of modern Russian society and the ideological sentiments that prevailed in it.

"Nove"

Turgenev's last novel appeared in the mid-1870s. It was published in 1877. Turgenev presented in it the populist revolutionaries who are trying to convey their ideas to the peasants. He assessed their actions as a sacrificial feat. However, this is a feat of the doomed.

The last years of the life of I. S. Turgenev

Since the mid-1860s, Turgenev lived abroad almost constantly, visiting his homeland only on short visits. He built himself a house in Baden-Baden, near the house of the Viardot family. In 1870, after the Franco-Prussian War, Polina and Ivan Sergeevich left the city and settled in France.

In 1882, Turgenev fell ill with spinal cancer. The last months of his life were difficult, and his death was also difficult. The life of Ivan Turgenev was cut short on August 22, 1883. He was buried in St. Petersburg at the Volkovsky cemetery, near Belinsky’s grave.

Ivan Turgenev, whose stories, tales and novels are included in the school curriculum and are known to many, is one of the greatest Russian writers of the 19th century.